If your relationship with social media wasn’t fraught in the past, it likely is today. In recent times, social media has become less a photo-sharing app and more a page to present your work, share news reports and alarming statistics, and mobilise communities into action. Where Instagram was once known for its filters and selfies, stories now bleed science with gossip, fact with fiction, and in light of the current global pandemic, it’s also become a war of words between those opposed to the Covid-19 vaccination and those who understand the urgency of this pandemic, the severity of it, and the need to adhere to all social distancing restrictions and lockdown rules if we are to emerge from lockdown any time soon.
With all this in mind though, social media has long gone from a frivolous pastime to one that can quite quickly become toxic and lead to severe anxiety. And if you were thinking of taking a much-needed detox or break, you might want to consider Selena Gomez who recently spoke about how letting go of social media was key to her mental health. In an interview with Elle’s Latinx, she spoke at length about the years of mental and physical health concerns she’s experienced.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRSaKoZjTLs/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRSaKoZjTLs/
“My lupus, my kidney transplant, chemotherapy, having a mental illness, going through very public heartbreaks – these were all things that honestly should have taken me down,” Gomez told the publication. “Every time I went through something, I was like, ‘What else? What else am I going to have to deal with?”
Gomez first sought treatment for mental health after being diagnosed with lupus in 2014, four years later she then came to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But when the celebrity rumour mill went into overdrive, she found herself to be the subject of a “nasty” narrative online that proved demoralising. It was only when she took a step back that she realised she had the power to flip the narrative, and help people by giving visibility to issues via her platform.
“That’s really what kept me going,” she said. “There could have been a time when I wasn’t strong enough, and would have done something to hurt myself.”
Gomez now uses her platforms to promote self-acceptance and other causes, but does so indirectly. She provides images and quotes to her assistant, who then makes the posts on her behalf. By removing herself from the use of social media, Gomez believes she’s more present and able to focus on projects. “I don’t have it on my phone, so there’s no temptation,” she said. “I suddenly had to learn how to be with myself. That was annoying, because in the past, I could spend hours looking at other people’s lives.”
“Now I get information the proper way,” she added. “When my friends have something to talk about, they call me and say, ‘Oh, I did this.’ They don’t say, ‘Wait, did you see my post?’”
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